The present invention relates to an apparatus for making different diameter and shape holes through a metal plate in a metal plate processing machine.
As is known, from different constructions conventionally are used, as a base material, large-size metal plates which are machined in gantry machines, including a horizontal beam which is controllably driven with respect to the metal plate being machined, and comprising moreover high power driving motors adapted to directly drill or pierce the sheet metal plate, to form therethrough both small holes or slots, having for example a size of 20-30 mm, and a much larger diameter holes, having for example a diameter of 200 to 250 mm, which are made by including in the gantry machine very high power electric motors. Moreover, for each hole diameter, it is also necessary to provide and use different diameter tools.
Thus, the above drilling or piercing operations are very complex, inter alia because of additional operations required for changing the drilling or piercing tools.
To the above it should be also added that while power motors are necessary for making large diameter holes by large diameter tools operated at a high speed, said high power motors represent a drawback as the above machines are used to make small diameter holes by small diameter tools operated at high speed.
While the following disclosure will be referred to circular holes having a set diameter, it should be apparent that the inventive apparatus may also be used to make openings or slots of any desired polygonal shape, such as a triangular or rectangular shape.